With their keen appreciation of wines, it was inevitable that John and Margaret, on their world tour, would take in The Cloudy Bay vineyard in New Zealand. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was one of John's favourite wines.
We frequently chatted about wine after the many delicious dinners prepared by Margaret.
John subsequently instigated a few wine tasting nights, thoroughly enjoyed by all.  He recounted the time he confused Pouilly-Fume for Pouilly-Fuisse, later realising the great   differences between the two.
John fully understood grape varieties, terroir, hill orientation etc. and speculated as to whether the slope at The Granary would support crossings or hybrid vines. I'm sure that John with  his sheer  drive and vast knowledge of plant pathology could have brought this idea to fruition. It was probably one of the many projects to remain in his head......
Jim and April    

There's so much to say about your Dad for so many reasons. I can't really remember the first time I met him, but I just remember him always being there, and being the Uncle with the scratchiest beard and the biggest cuddles. They were so tight I'd feel like my head was going to pop off, but they were so full of love. A Burden cuddle I think they call them.

When I was little and we would go and stay at Granny's it was so exciting seeing you all when you'd come back from a skiing trip or just passing through and we would have a couple of nights together. I remember us going apple picking once and how massive the orchard was, but also the disappointment that they were cooking apples so we couldn't eat any of them right away. All those pub trips to The White Hart and the little stops at Aunty Daisy's I'll treasure so fondly. It was always so rare to have us all together though! Wherever we were, we'd always go swimming. Clevedon, Doncaster Dome, Tadcaster Baths, Selby, Barnsley was another and I'm sure there were a couple more.

I remember every summer coming up to sunny South Milford for a week and seeing how the house was coming along (or not). It was always so much fun staying in the caravan. So much so I definitely remember wishing the house would take even longer, so we could keep staying there. We'd always do something exciting like going to Eureka, but it was always so exciting just being at the farm, exploring and playing. Watching your Dad drive around in a digger, dump truck or even lawnmower always made me smile, because he always looked like he was having so much fun. He loved life with such a passion, it was contagious.

Everytime he would drop us off at the station, I'd be so sad about going home and it would take Mum a few days of telling me we could go back again and see everyone again soon.

I was always super excited when he'd come to stay with us in London from whichever trip he'd been on, or whatever embassy he had to visit. He'd always bring us mushrooms. Whichever crazy variety he'd been playing with. I remember having shitakes for the first time and being blown away he could grow them.

There was one time he came and took us to Canterbury. Mum always said it was an inset day, but I'm sure she took us out of school. Mum lit a candle in the Cathedral and I had my very first toasted tea cake! Something that proved almost impossible to find in London for a long while afterwards.

Another time he took us all to the poshest Chinese place in Walthamstow (Princess Diana had been there!) I remember sitting round the big spinning marble wheel and all these amazing foods coming out and turning it to get some, although Dad would admonish me for turning it too quick and the usual dinner etiquette talk. It was the first time I had seaweed though! He introduced me to so many different foods and ingredients. It definitely helped peak my culinary interests.

When he gave us his raclette it felt like Xmas every weekend. It was the best present ever! We would have friends over throughout our school years for parties, and when it broke we bought a new one to share with our friends when Paul and I became adults. I even managed host a breakfast lunch and dinner with one!

Uncle John was always so interested in what I was doing. Throughout my life he's always been there. I was always so surprised at the lengths he'd go through to help me out in some way. Mum always said "That's what uncles were there for." But it was that sense of family and love he was able to give. That's what to me made him so incredibly special.

Throughout university he was there for me whether it was giving me some weekend work or taking me out for some posh food. He taught me so much and was always willing to listen to my problems and was just generally interested in me as a person.

After my accident I woke up and he was there with you all. Such a friendly face that was was somehow always there when things felt their darkest.

When I got a job abroad, he was there to clean up my flat. Him and Olly moved and stored all my stuff. Even when it was time to clear it all out (10 years later out!), he made every care to make sure my photos were as best preserved as possible. His passion for capturing moments really inspired me, as did his love of hoarding.

In more recent years, I was able to spend more time in York and I was always so proud he'd come and see me play. He wasn't a massive fan of my music, but he was always so enthusiastic about it. After one gig he said he was going to give me a review. He could be judgemental, but he was always so curious. One night we nearly went to a drum and bass rave at 2am! I wish it was a better night or we defintely would have gone. Just to see him dance!

Whenever he was passing through London he'd always visit Mum and she was always so chuffed to see him. She'd always come back glowing. She was always so proud and felt so pampered when he'd treat her to a posh breakfast. When she got ill his little trips to the hospital brightened everyone's day. Talking to him always seemed to make things a bit better.

I'll miss him so much. He was an inspiration and a legend. He was so much to so many people and the world will be a much darker place without him. I know he wasn't religious, but I hope he has sipping a G&T with Mum somewhere. They maybe gone but they'll never be forgotten xxx

I first met John probably 40 years ago when sourcing Mushrooms. Well before his move to South Milford.
I led a team who organised many events in the village, the bonfire ran for 25 years from the early 90`s.
John was there, and supported us every time with various requests. In the era of modern banking I would often have to send him money back after the sponsorship was received many times.
Damm internet banking he would say. I am sorry.
John was a true gentleman who I never heard a  wrong word about.
Taken from his family sadly far too early I would like the family to know how we in the wider community miss him too.

Dad was no stranger to digger driving and over the years had cause to hire or loan a variety of diggers and excavators during the construction of the many buildings on and around the farm, A skilled digger operator was in most cases considered to be an unnecessary expense and if dad was honest not half as much fun...

Initially the majority of such unions between man and hydraulically powered machinery passed without significant event, and with the exception of the Gas Main (that did involve a large number of British Gas response vehicles) most items accidentally dug up could be hastily reburied and nobody was any the wiser.

However once all the building footings had been dug and opportunities for further excavations dwindled dad set his sights on a new challenge, that of deepening an existing pond with a view to stocking it with fish.

To start with everything went well but it became increasingly difficult to deepen the pond from the safety of the bank. This necessitated a change of approach and called for deeper and deeper forays into the ponds themselves. Somewhat inevitably this led to dad (and the digger) being very much stuck and needing to call on friends, their tractors and a set of large chains in order to escape.

This wasn't an isolated event and although no diggers were harmed during the making of the mushroom ponds, many got very, very dirty. The events of which have since been immortalised in at least one Birthday cake and are fondly remembered and frequently retold.

Ever since dad converted and moved into the farm, he had his sights on renovating the old Mill building adjacent to it. Many discussions centred around the possibility of reinstating in some form the Water wheel that once powered the Mill.

The wheel that powered the mill was over two stories tall and several feet wide and although he did renovate the Mill and work for many years from offices within the second floor the wheel itself remained absent.

In what was for dad a rare taming of ambition, he then set his sights on smaller scale version within the beck that ran alongside the house. Typical of many projects it was long in duration with much research, discussion, and consideration taken before construction began.

Like so many of dad's projects, it featured several key ingredients. The foundation on which the wheel sits and access to and from the garden features his beloved stones, hand picked and formed into solid walls and foundations by the man himself. The more eager eyed among you will also notice that the wheel spindles are made from another key burden building material - Upcycled Mushroom Racking.

Construction took place over multiple seasons as it vied for priority alongside frequent foreign work trips and other calls on his time such as needed for the upkeep of the farm, fishing ponds, etc. The first lockdown of 2020 provided the space to complete the wheel, and its maiden revolutions were captured in the video below.

Much like dad it has remained in constant motion since it was created, and will I hope like his memory continue to do so for many years to come. Like so much of the the farm it acts as a living reminder of both dad's skills as a craftsman, and his love of the countryside & nature that he chose to live within.

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